


An Enlightening Excursion

by Leticheecopae



Category: Beforus AU - Fandom, Homestuck
Genre: Fluff, M/M, Sexual Content, Silly, Unplanned Pregnancy, Xeno
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-09-18
Updated: 2016-10-11
Packaged: 2018-08-15 18:52:46
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 11,325
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8068801
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Leticheecopae/pseuds/Leticheecopae
Summary: Kankri has grown up in one of Beforus's seaside cities for his entire life and he's sick of it quite honestly. He wants to learn more of the world, travel, but to do that he needs a guide. Unfortunately, the only friend able to be such a guide is Cronus, and what good is a sea-dweller on land? Well, he may not be the best at navigating, but he sure as hell is good at a few other things.





	1. Inland Conquests

**Author's Note:**

> This story is for Midnight Demoness here on Ao3. I had a lot of fun doing this one, and the second chapter is almost finished. As you can guess, the first chapter is all the smut, the second is all about Kankri with grubs. 
> 
> I hope you enjoy!

Out of all of the trolls that Kankri had asked to help him on his quest of self-fulfillment Cronus was the only one who had agreed to come along. Cronus, who said he knows how a compass and map work. 

Turns out, he doesn’t.

“Really, Cronus, why didn’t you tell me that you’re having trouble reading the map when we were still within viewing distance of the city?” The woods are starting to grow bright, and the two of them are still traipsing through the mountain valley without any idea of where to hole up for the day. Not that Kankri currently feels like sharing any form of shelter with his somewhat unwanted travel companion.

“Hey, I had no idea it would be this hard, Chief. I figured using a topographical map on land was the same as underwater. Didn’t think about how we’d be at the base of the mountains instead of above them.”

“Then you are a liar, Cronus Ampora, or did you forget the whole speech you gave me on how I would need you to get through these mountains and to the inland city. That you are one of the best trackers and navigators of the seas. Or did you forget that fact.”

Kankri wants to turn and face him as he speaks, but between the lecturing and looking for a good place to settle, he’s a bit busy. If they don’t find shelter in the next few hours, or a glade where they can set up their tent, then it is going to be quite uncomfortable for them. 

“Hey, I didn’t lie to you at all. I said that I was one of the best ‘in the sea’. Not so much on land.” He sounds a tad sheepish as Kankri stomps ahead. “But, I thought that the wind up here would be like our currents. I didn’t realize that it shifted all the time. Currents are pretty predictable, easier than this crap.” Cronus swats at the air before shoving his hands in his pockets and slumping. “I really didn’t know it would be so different, Kan.”

“Yes, well,” he feels rage trying to bubble out of him like one of the many brooks that they have traipsed passed throughout the day. “You should have been more forthcoming about that information before we found ourselves lost out here.”

Cronus kicks at the dirt as he follows behind, apparently lost for words. Kankri, though, is not.

“The whole reason I asked for help with this is due to how little I know about the world outside of the city. Being protected my whole life has left me with a hole in my education. I want to know what it is like for those who travel the earth and seas. Seeing as I have never been more than a few lengths into the ocean, I thought it best to start with the mountains. Then, despite not wanting to, I tried to find a guide. You were the only one of our friends not busy with something or other to be such a guide.” Kankri heaves a sigh. “But now I see I should have stayed within the confines of the city until a more knowledgeable guide was available for this trek.”

“You know we could just follow the streams back to the ocean,” Cronus grumbles. “I could take you back from there and then get out of your hair.”

Kankri whirls about. “Why didn’t you say that hours ago!?”

Cronus cringes as he falls back a bit. “I-I thought you wanted to keep going. I mean, if we just get past the mountain range we’ll find one of the parallel roads to the city. I can at least read that on the map, Chief, and I’ve been on those before. Might take a little longer than we thought, but-”

“But nothing, Cronus Ampora, you should have shared that information with me immediately! I thought for sure we would be wandering through these hills for days, if not weeks! Now you’re telling me you actually have some formulation of a plan to either continue or backpedal our expedition?” 

Cronus blinks in confusion. “Uh...wait. What am I being yelled at for now?”

Kankri throws his hands into the air and starts to stomp off. “And now you aren’t even listening to me. Wonderful. I may as well have come out here on my lonesome. Really, thinking you would have any knowledge of the land was a misinterpretation on my part. I mean, why on Beforus would you even want to come out here in the first place.”

“Well...because I don’t really get off the coast much, and it’s lettin me spend time with you.”

“Oh don’t start that ridiculous flirting with me now!” Kankri whirls on the sea-dweller. “Or are you really that insensitive to try those shenanigans now of all times.”

“Whoa, hey,” Cronus puts his hands out. “No shenanigans, Chief. I’m being one hundred percent serious. I wanted to come out here with you, spend time with ya. Feel like I never get to just, you know, be with you without the others breathing down our necks. I thought we might...you know.” He shrugs.

“Might what.” Kankri gives him a glare.

“Get to know each other.” Cronus looks back down at the ground.

Kankri feels his heart jump. Get to know each other? Didn’t they already? 

“Well...as welcome as your sentiments are, you should not have led me astray in the thought that you knew what you were doing.” Kankri turns on his heel and keeps walking. He gives shrug to the pack on his back as well, the shoulder straps having started to slide down his shoulders.

“Kan, listen, I’m sorry I ‘lead you astray’, or whatever. I really thought I had this in the bag, and spending time with you was too damn tempting not to try, but no matter what you want to do we’ll need to find some shelter soon. If we go up along the sides of the hills we should be able to find a cave or somethin; maybe a clearing. After that, you can chew my gills all you want fo-”

“Was that a euphemism for what I think it is?” Kankri asks with a glare. His heart jumps in his throat at even the idea of him putting his mouth over those delicate looking gills. To chew on them would have to be painful, at most he would only be able to kiss them, possibly lick them...why is that even a thought?

Cronus sighs. “No, Kankri, it’s not. I don’t even think I could get in the mood with all this yapping your throwing at me.”

“Yapping!” Rage makes blood rush to Kankri’s face as Cronus slaps a hand to his forehead.

“Just...let’s find shelter,” Cronus replies as he goes to walk past him. Kankri watches his posture, his usual swagger hunched over and crumpled. His fins are down, and his hands have been shoved back into his pockets. A small pang of guilt tugs at his blood pusher, but he does his best to ignore it. It is Cronus’s fault that they are in this mess. Kankri has every right to be angry. Right? Just because he had done all this with good intentions doesn’t get Cronus off the proverbial hook.

Still, he chews on his tongue to keep back the next torrent of words he wishes to release. While it is true he is absolutely livid with the troll now leading him through the lightening forest, he’s sure he’s already said his piece. No reason to keep berating him when he actually seems forlorn and apologetic.

 _‘Really. Spend time with me, why on Beforus would that be a driving factor?’_ he asks himself. _‘We spend plenty of time with one another.’_ He watches Cronus move through the trees. He’s become larger over the last few sweeps, broader in the shoulders from swimming; thinner and more streamline everywhere else. Kankri finds his eyes tracing the lines of Cronus’s short sleeves, seeing the way that they seem to strain around Cronus’s biceps. He wonders if the rest of him is that muscular. 

It’s a thought that he pushes away before clearing his throat.

“Are you warm?” he asks.

Cronus looks back at him with a smirk. “Told you not to wear long sleeves.” 

Kankri feels the childish urge to either stick out his tongue or flip him off. Instead, he simply glares.

\------

“You can’t be serious?” Kankri looks at the dark hole that Cronus has found. From it a small stream trickles, vines swirling gently in the current. Cronus has some of them pulled back to allow Kankri to see a few feet into the murky depths.

“Come on, Chief. We’re out of time. The vines will keep out the sun, it’ll be nice and cool, and I can see some shelf like places where we can put the portable recuperacoon for the day. Plus we won’t have to use any of our water.”

Kankri eyes the stream, “I doubt that is potable.”

“It will be if we boil it first,” Cronus points out.

“But that requires firewood.”

Cronus looks like he wants to bang his head against the side of the cave. “I know that Kan. We’ll need to get some before the sun gets any higher. Now please, will you get in the cave? I don’t want to get sunburn on my gills while I get wood.”

“You get the wood?”

“Yes,” and the exasperation in his voice makes Kankri cross his arms. “Listen, I got our asses lost, least I can do is make sure we have drinkable water and that you don’t have to be outside longer than you need to. You’ve got to be cooking in that get-up.”

Kankri gives him a sharp look before walking towards the cave. Cronus pulls the vines back further so Kankri can slip inside.

“Alright, great, here’s my pack.” He hands the heavy item over. “I’ll be back soon. Just get the other stuff ready so we can start boiling when I get back.”

“Of course. What else would you expect me to do? Sit twiddling my thumbs?”

“No, I…” Cronus sighs. “I’ll be back soon.” The vines fall back into place and leave Kankri in general darkness. He listens to Cronus’s booted feet thud off down the way they came, splash through the small brook, and then he’s gone.

Kankri turns back into the duskiness of the cave. He sees the shelf like areas that Cronus has been talking about, notes that the cave goes back a considerable ways and that anything could be in here.

“He better be back soon,” he murmurs as he reaches for the light on his hip. He pops it on and sweeps it near the back. The only thing he can see is the crack in the floor where the water is escaping. Despite there being nothing else in the cave he still feels uneasy. 

“You came out here to learn more about nature, not fear it.” Kankri straightens up. “Now do your job. Can’t have Cronus thinking I can’t do at least this bit on my own. Not that he seems to be able to do much himself…” Kankri sets the light on one of the higher shelves, keeps it pointed to the back of the cave, and starts setting up camp from their two semi-large packs. 

The two portable recuperacoon get laid out next to one another on a rather wide, dry shelf space near the back. He then puts their supplies on a higher one where he can keep an eye on them as he walks around the cave. The small brook is cool to the touch, the water probably coming from somewhere deep in the mountains. Kankri splashes some on his face and neck. It is warming up now that the sun is coming out, and while he enjoys the comfort his long sleeved traveling shirt provides, he must admit it is becoming uncomfortable. He debates on removing it when he hears splashing. 

“Holy shit that came up fast,” Cronus pants as he comes through the vines. A large pile of firewood fills his arms; more than Kankri was expecting.

“Do we really need that much?”

“If the red sky tells me anything, then yes.” Cronus comes over and dumps the wood onto one of the higher, dry shelves near their cocoons. 

“Red sky?”

“Red sky at night, sailors delight. Red sky at morning, sailors take warning,” Cronus tells him as he starts putting the wood into a ring.

“What’s that mean?”

“It means there’s a good chance of storms, Chief.” He keeps setting the wood up. “So I figured I’d get some extra. Rather stay here for a day then trying to traipse around in the mountains during a rainstorm. Saw enough cliffside mudslides to figure that’s a bad idea on land.”

“Oh…” Kankri watches Cronus work. “Why are you setting it up like that?”

Cronus pauses and blinks. “What?”

“I read that you should always make fire pits into cross sections, like a hashtag. Why are you making it look like a, well, like a small tent?”

Cronus looks down to the small structure he has created. “Uh...well that’s how I always did it on the beach, to be honest. I mean, there are cross pieces inside, but...well you know I have no idea why. I’ve just always made them like this.”

“You’ve made lots of fires?”

“Well, yeah,” Cronus replies. “How do you think I keep warm on the coast?”

“Electricity?” 

Cronus gives a laugh. “Alright, touche. Issue is currents don’t give a shit about me getting electricity at home. Below the waves we can get strong enough ones that the power will go out for quite a while. So instead I’ll make a fire.” He starts sliding some rocks in a ring around the wood. Kankri follows him, sometimes handing Cronus a few as they shuffle around. “And there’s nothing like putting a fire on the beach. Lay out in the sand under the surf and watch it flicker above the water.” Cronus slows a little as he smiles. “One of my favorite things to do in the winter.”

“Isn’t the water freezing?”

“Course it is. That’s why the fire is even better when I get out.” Cronus gives Kankri a wink as he steps back. “Not as deep as I’d usually make it, but it should work for now. What do you think, Chief?” 

Kankri is startled by the question. “Um, well.” He walks around it, pretends to understand how Cronus has created the small wall around the wood and the structure it encases. He pushes at a piece of wood and quickly catches it as it goes to fall. Cronus gives a small chuckle.

“It’s fine,” Kankri replies. He ignores the heat in his cheeks.

“Then would you like to do the honors?” Cronus holds out his lighter.

“Shouldn’t we use flint?”

“If you want to be up for another four hours.”

Kankri gives a sniff of disapproval, but he does take the lighter. He goes to his knees and feels the coolness of the stone seep into the fabric of his pants. The structure before him is a tad daunting, even if it barely comes up to his shin. He’s never lit a fire like this before.

“Here,” Cronus says as he goes to his own knees. “When you light these things you want to make sure you’ve got a cross wind going. You light the spark, I’ll feed it.” Cronus gives a wink and Kankri rolls his eyes, mostly to try and cover the blush that races up his neck.

“Must you start with the euphemisms. I was thinking you might actually be sufferable this evening.” 

Cronus puts up his hands. “Sorry, sorry.” The smile doesn’t disappear. though. Kankri ignores him as he leans down and holds the lighter just within the tiny stone wall. With a flick of his thumb, a flame is born. Holding it to the wood, he listens as the dry pieces of lumber slowly start to burn. 

“Alright, keep it steady,” Cronus says as he turns his head and blows into the side of the structure. Kankri watches as the flame dances gently and the wood around it glows. Cronus does it again, and again, and Kankri watches the red start to spread. He chances a glance to see if there is a specific way that Cronus is blowing only to find his eyes draw to Cronus’s gills. With each breath, they seem to flare a tad like they are pulling air in as well. They then shut when Cronus blows out. Opened, closed, opened, closed. The flesh looks delicate, and maybe slightly damp. For some inexplicable reason Kankri wonder’s if the insides would be warm or cool around his fingers; his tongue.

“Ouch!” Kankri jerks his hand back and drops the lighter. His fingertips thrum with pain.

“Whoa, hey, you okay?”

“Yes, yes I’m fine. Just burnt my hand.” Kankri turns towards the little river and goes to stick his hand into it.

“Woah! Wait.” Cronus grabs his wrist.

“What? Shouldn’t I cool it?”

“Yeah, but not in that. Not unless you want blisters from hell. Use lukewarm stuff on burns first. Believe me, I learned that shit the hard way.”

“Well, Cronus, I don’t know if you’ve noticed but this is the only water we have. So if you don’t mind.” He tries to tug his hand away.

“Wait,” Cronus says as he sits sheepishly before him. “I-I have an idea, and don’t take it the wrong way, okay? I just don’t want you getting blisters.”

“What are you- Cronus!” Kankri’s voice jumps as his thumb and forefinger are popped into Cronus’s mouth. Cronus gives a look of apology as his tongue wiggles between the two digits. Surprisingly it feels somewhat soothing, and while Kankri wants nothing more than to jerk his fingers from Cronus’s mouth, he allows them to sit. He almost feels like he’s pinching Cronus’s tongue with how it is pressed between the pads of the two fingers. It twitches and Kankri feels a definite want to squeeze it. It wraps gently around the forefinger, then his thumb, and a sound Kankri wasn’t expecting slips between his lips.

Cronus stops and pulls away.

“Better?” Cronus’s fins are tinged purple.

Kankri gives a little nod.

“Good. You, uh, should be able to use the cool water now. I’ll get the morning meal started.” Cronus quickly gets up and heads towards their supplies.

Kankri turns away and puts his hand into the shallow water. The stream barely makes it’s way over the top of his hand.

“Cronus,” he says as the sea-dweller takes out their collapsible pans. 

Cronus pauses and looks at him. 

“Thank you.” 

Watching Cronus’s fins wiggle shouldn’t be nearly as endearing as it is.

\-----

“I think we ate too much,” Kankri murmurs as he looks at their food stores.

“Hey, you said we were heading back soon. We can indulge a little,” Cronus replies with a grin. He has a rather large rib bone sticking out from between his lips. 

“When did I say that?”

Cronus blinks at him. “Uh...well when I told you we could just follow the rivers back it sounded like that’s what you wanted to do. Right?”

Kankri sighs. “Well, I guess now that would make the most sense. We’re quite off course, we’ve already eaten more than we should per ration, and while you do seem adept to be out here, we should probably regroup and figure out a better way to move through the mountains.” 

 

“Did I just get a compliment?” Cronus asks with a grin.

“Yes, now don’t make me take it back.” Kankri wraps his arms around his knees. “But, truly, you have been a great help. I just wish we could have gone a bit further before having to turn back. I feel like I am failing myself.”

“Whoa, whoa, hey Chief,” Cronus says as he sits up. “If anyone failed here it’s me. I thought I could BS my way on land and instead got us stuck in the middle of nowhere.” He wraps a hand around Kankri’s shoulder. It sits like a cool weight through his shirt. “So yeah, not really your fault.”

The hand falls away, but Cronus stays close. The two lapse into a comfortable silence as he stokes the fire. Outside, there is the gentle rumble of far off thunder; the sun’s light muted beyond just the vines.

“Were you serious when you said you wanted to spend time with me?” Kankri murmurs into the silence.

Cronus turns to him with a look of confusion. “Why would I lie about that?” 

“I thought you were just being yourself,” Kankri replies. “I-I mean, you are always flirting so much with others. I simply thought you were continuing the trend with me.”

Cronus’s gills fall. “Okay, I might deserve that, but do you think I’d really come hiking out here for just anyone.”

“Yes.” The word is out of Kankri’s mouth before he can stop it. 

“Oh.” Cronus’s fins droop low enough that the tips hang just above his shoulders. 

Discomfort runs through Kankri immediately. Words come and go, attempting to form into the right thing for him to say, but none of them stick around. He finds himself stuck.

“We uh…” Cronus clears his throat. “We should hit the sack.” 

“Cronus,” Kankri murmurs as Cronus goes to get up. 

Cronus pauses and looks back over at Kankri. Again, his brain becomes a whirlwind of possible sentences.

“May I touch your gills?” That is not what he meant to say.

Cronus stares at him in shock.

“I-I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have-”

“Yes.” Cronus sits back on the ground next to him and presents his neck.

It’s Kankri’s turn to be surprised. 

“Really?”

Cronus cocks his head to the side. “Just be gentle. Damn things can be sensitive.”

Kankri gives a nod before reaching upwards. His hand is just barely trembling as he guides it along the slit of a gill. It flares slightly, and Kankri finds himself fascinated with the moisture he can feel just beneath the lip of it. This close he notes something else.

“You have freckles?”

Cronus gives a snort. “I’ve got freckles everywhere, Kan.” He turns his face, and the two almost bump noses. Kankri finds himself sharing the same breath with Cronus for a moment as they sit still. 

“Can I see those too?”

Pure heat jumps through Kankri as he realizes what he has uttered. “S-sorry.” He stammers as he quickly turns away. “That must have sounded so-” Out of the corner of his eye, Kankri can see Cronus is tugging at his clothing with extreme speed. “-forward…” Kankri’s voice trails off as he finds himself staring at an almost fully bare Cronus. He’s seen the sea-dweller with his shirt off many a time, especially when visiting him near the ocean, but he hasn’t seen him in such small...underwear. He has also never seen Cronus’s upper thighs. They are covered in a series of small constellations, some of them glowing gently with the slightest amount of bioluminescence. 

“It looks like you’re made of stars,” Kankri murmurs as he traces a series of freckles that look almost like Cronus’s sign. As he does he sees something twitch beneath Cronus’s underwear. Kankri jerks his hand back.

“Huh?” Cronus looks back at Kankri with glazed eyes. They quickly fill with panic. “Oh, oh shit. Kankri I’m sorry, I-”

“It’s fine, really,” Kankri replies as he looks down again. “I’m touching sensitive areas, it only makes sense you would have a...reaction.” 

“Am I the only one?” There is a hopeful tone in his voice that makes Kankri’s body heat. 

“I-I…” Kankri sits, flabbergasted, as his body starts a small war with his brain.

_‘Of course I don’t feel a reaction. I’m celibate. I’ve never-’_

_-Liar-_

_‘I am not!’_

_-You want to lick his gills.-_

_‘That doesn’t mean-!’_

_-Bet his tongue would feel as good around your bulge as is did your fingers.-_

Kankri’s rational side shuts up at that thought. There is no denying that something is shifting beneath his skivvies. 

“I’m not, am I.” Wonder is prevalent in Cronus’s voices as he reaches up and tucks some of Kankri’s unruly hair behind his ear. Kankri leans into it, lets the hand guide him, and finds himself sharing breath with Cronus again.

“Can I kiss you?” Cronus sounds scared, like just uttering the question might break whatever moment is unfolding.

Kankri opens his mouth, finds it has gone dry, and closes it. He attempts to lick his lips, clear his throat, anything. The best he can do is nod.

It must surprise Cronus at first because he doesn’t react. He just sits there, cupping Kankri’s face.

“Cronus?” he finally asks. He almost says more before a cool mouth pushes to his own. It’s a bit tense at first, scared, but after a moment it relaxes. Kankri finds his lids falling halfway shut as his eyes unfocus. Cronus is the one to break the kiss.

“Wow.” 

“Yes, wow,” Kankri replies as he shifts. He is uncomfortably warm next to the fire while fully clothed. And it is so unfair to stay like this when Cronus is already stripped down. He reaches down and tugs at his shirt, lifting it above his head.

“Kankri?” 

“It hardly seems fair for you to be practically in the nude while I’m fully clothed.” His face burns as he pulls the shirt off, folds it, tosses it to one of the nearest stone shelves, and then starts on his pants. The high waist makes it a bit difficult, and he finds himself struggling to pull it down while seated.

“Here.” Cronus’s hands come from seemingly nowhere, grip the waistband, and tug down with a harsh jerk. Kankri lets out a slight yelp as he slides with the tug; his underwear goes with down with the waistband.

“Uh…”

Kankri props himself up on his elbows to find that Cronus is staring down at his partially unsheathed bulge. 

“I-I’m sorry,” he quickly stammers as he tries to untangle the undergarment from Kankri’s pants. “I didn’t mean to. I mean, I meant to, but I didn’t mean to pull down-”

“Cronus,” Kankri cuts in sharply.

“Yeah?” Cronus answers back meekly. 

“Either continue to remove my clothing or put yours back on.” 

Cronus removes them with clumsy fingers. Kankri listens to the cloth hit the floor behind Cronus but doesn’t look. He’s too busy eyeing the movement below Cronus’s waist. The small amount of cloth does very little to hide the swelling lump attempting to push out of the side.

“Kankri?” Cronus whispers as Kankri sits up, grips the cloth, and pulls it back. The sea-dwellers bulge slides fully into view, the bone sheathing completely split to allow it all the way out. 

“You really do have freckles everywhere,” Kankri murmurs as he notes the dark dots along the length. 

“T-told ya.”

He helps Cronus out of his garment before laying back. He urges Cronus by tugging at his hip and gets him to straddle Kankri’s chest while on his knees. It allows Kankri a good angle to view Cronus’s bulge. Tentatively, Kankri’s hand moves from Cronus’s hip to his bulge.

Cronus makes a sound like he’s been shot and grabs Kankri’s wrist.

“What did-”

“Don’t tease me,” he pants.

“Tease you?”

“If you start doing that I’m not going to stop until I know what the inside of your nook feels like.”

Kankri’s face goes hot. Oh god. He wants to pail him? Here on the floor of a cave? Well, judging by his body Kankri’s not too opposed to it, but…

“I know you’ve got that vow, and I don’t want you breaking it just ‘cuz we got hot and bothered like this. Like, I mean I do, but not if you’re going to hate me after.”

Kankri bites his lip. The vow...right.

“Well,” his brain whirls. There has to be a justification for this. “I came out here to learn more about nature and things I didn’t understand,” he starts slowly. “And I would say pailing is pretty high on that list.”

_‘I can always become celibate again afterward.’_

_-Yeah right.-_

Kankri pushes the thought away as he reaches for Cronus’s bulge again. 

“And who better to learn about it with than the one person who wanted to go with me on this adventure of exploration.”

Cronus gives a low groan as Kankri squeezes his bulge. It wraps loosely around Kankri’s wrist, making it extremely sticky. 

“Your material is more viscous than mine.” Kankri marvels at the texture as he urges Cronus a bit closer. 

“It’s so it doesn’t just wash away in water,” Cronus pants.

“Fascinating.” Kankri entertains the idea of letting the bulge slide into his mouth, but when it tightens harshly on a tug he decides against it. Instead he leans in and pushes his mouth to the freckles on Cronus’s upper thigh that he had been exploring earlier. As he skims his mouth over them he finds that there is the slightest difference in texture between the shinier ones and normal dark spots. He sucks against the skin, lets his tongue explore the flesh, and releases with a gasp when Cronus’s hands curl into his hair. The tip of Cronus’s bulge presses near the edge of his mouth and Kankri turns his head.

“Sorry, sorry,” Cronus pants. “Just, really needing something here.”

Kankri gnaws on the inside of his cheek. “You want to feel my nook?”

“Yes,” Cronus groans as he backs up so quickly Kankri almost doesn’t get a chance to let go of his bulge. 

Kankri gives a surprised yelp as Cronus moves him with more strength than he had expected. It shifts the angle, pulling him further from the fire and closer to the stream. Cronus’s mouth descends to Kankri’s for a few desperate kisses before he moves past Kankri’s lips. 

“Oh.” Kankri gives a small gasp as Cronus’s mouth finds the space between his neck and ear and sucks at the flesh. At the same time, Cronus’s bulge comes down to tangle with Kankri’s. It’s unlike anything he’s ever experienced between his thighs. Toys, his hands, nothing compares to the feeling of another troll’s flesh twisting with his bulge.

“Oooooh.” The groan echoes in the cave as Kankri opens his thighs and wraps his arms around Cronus’s neck. He can feel Cronus’s gills brush against his arms. 

With a sharp tug at Cronus’s shoulders, Kankri manages to get him away from his neck and instead sits up to find Cronus’s throat. 

“F-fuck Kan,” he pants as Kankri traces a tongue along the slit of one of Cronus’s gills. There is a distinct taste of salt as it flares to let his tongue prod gently inside. Kankri pants against the gills as he tastes and kisses them while their bulges tangling and send pleasure through him. He pulls back, finds Cronus’s mouth, and lets his tongue sink into the cool cavern. Kankri fills it with a somewhat startled moan as Cronus’s bulge slips from his and pushes inside of him.

“Cronus.” The feeling is odd and pleasurable, with a tinge of discomfort. Very few things have every found their way inside him, and Cronus is definitely one of the biggest. He slithers inside, splitting Kankri and following the curve of him deep.

“You’re okay. Is this okay? God, you feel good. Please be okay.” The words spill out for a matter of seconds before Kankri tugs him down for another kiss. His bulge wraps around the base of Cronus’s as the one inside him wriggles in as deep as it can. 

Muffled groans pass between them as Kankri’s legs and arms wrap tight around Cronus. Why hasn’t he done this before? It feels wonderful to be filled like this, to taste someone else on his tongue and hear them in his ears. It’s overwhelming, mind melting, and he wants-

“More!” The word is a sharp staccato as Cronus gives a slight roll of hips.

“Fuck yes,” Cronus replies before he kisses Kankri again. This time teeth mix in slightly, creating a clash as he rolls upwards. Kankri’s body shudders as he feels Cronus press deep into him, sending spikes of pleasure and a small thrill of pain up his spine.

“Hows that?” Cronus pants as Kankri claws and clings to him.

“More.” 

“More?”

“Please, Cronus,” he begs as his hips canter up and his bulge tries to find more friction. It finds Cronus’s nook and shoves inside. It takes Cronus by surprise. 

“You want it like that?” His voice is filled with awe.

“Yes.” Kankri does it again, feels the way Cronus constricts and knows he wants to feel his own nook do that.

Cronus seems at a lost for words before he does as Kankri asks, and then some. His bulge shoves in rough, twists and curls, and sends cascades of pleasure shooting up Kankri as his back slides against the cave floor. He lets his head fall back as he desperately gasps for air. 

“Like that?” Cronus grunts as he braces his forearms on the ground and does it again. “Fucking, yes you like that.”

Kankri’s claws dig into Cronus’s back as his mouth alights on his throat again. His tongue and teeth come into play as he sucks marks along his flesh. It mixes with the pleasure of pushing into Cronus, the sting of rocks on his back, and the euphoria of being filled.

“Cronus,” he gasps when he feels his body start to shake. He doesn’t want it to end, but he’s not sure if his body can hold out.

“Kankri,” he replies. “Fuck, Kankri, I’m-” his voice break. “Be my pail. Please, let me use you as a pail.”

The thought is so absurd, so dirty, that it seems to short out something in Kankri’s head. His legs lock around Cronus’s backside, trapping him against Kankri as he lets out a wail. His insides tighten while his toes curl and his bulge pulses. He releases into Cronus, though at the angle he’s at, most of Kankri’s genetic material drips out of Cronus quickly. 

“Yes,” Cronus grunts as his bulge shudders inside Kankri. It thrashes, curls, and then pushes as deep as it can before releasing. Cool genetic material pumps into him, flowing deep inside. For a moment there is an odd pressure like his body will burst or the material will slide back down the outside of Cronus’s bulge. Instead, the pressure breaks and Kankri feels something start to fill. It is an odd, semi-pleasurable feeling as he lays beneath Cronus. His thighs fall apart, his head lays on the floor, and his lungs gasp for whatever air they can find.

“Be my red,” Cronus says gently as he kisses Kankri’s temple, his bulge still deep within him. “Please. I don’t want to do that again with anyone else.”

Kankri gives a breathy little giggle. Despite the scratches on his back and slight stinging around his neck, he feels like he’s floating. The idea echoes around in his skull, desires and thoughts combating before he shakes them away and lets one thought fill him.

“Yes,” he says.

“Good.” Cronus kisses him again, deep and long. “Because I don’t know what else I can do to show you how much I pity you.” He keeps kissing Kankri while he pulls out, swallowing his sounds as he does. He flops to the side and pulls Kankri close.

“Get me to one of the recuperacoon?” Kankri asks hopefully. 

Cronus laughs, loud and full. It feels as good to Kankri’s ears as the material sitting cool and heavy in his belly.


	2. Sea-side Snuggles

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So much fun writing fluff. Have some to balance out the smutt.

Kankri sits with his head on Cronus’s shoulder. The doctor’s office is quiet behind closed doors, and he feels like he might be able to sleep for a few minutes. He’s been exhausted for almost a perigee now. At first, he just thought it might have been left over weakness from his trip into the wild, though that had made no sense. After two days in the cave (Cronus wouldn’t even consider having him hike around during the downpour that had continued well into the night and didn’t stop until the next day) they had made their way back to the coast. It had been harder to hike back, what with Kankri sore from two days of pailing, but he had made it with Cronus’s help. He had been quite chivalrous, carrying both packs at times to make sure Kankri didn’t aggravate the cuts on his back or hold more weight than he could handle.

They had made it to the shore within a day, thankfully, and amazingly were only a short distance from the city. They could see the spires on the horizon just behind the sunrise before they had ended up using the tent. Kankri had agreed that it was a lot easier on his back than the rough floor of the cave. The couch in his hive the next evening had been even better.

There is a shift in his hair and he feels cool lips press to the crown of his head. 

“I’m fine,” he murmurs.

“Says the guy in the hospital.”

“I probably just need some vitamins or something. I have been doing a lot more rigorous activity than usual.”

“Yeah, that why they took a look at your stomach?”

“It’s not my stomach that’s sore and you know it. I just wanted to make sure you hadn’t broken anything down there with how much you’ve been...exploring.”

Cronus snorts a laugh as he wraps an arm around Kankri and gives him a little squeeze. 

“Alright, yeah, I can attest to that.” He squeezes Kankri. “Still, passing out mid-blowjob in the ablution trap probably isn’t a good sign.”

“We hadn’t had anything to eat yet and you were...choking me,” Kankri grumbles as his face heats.

“You weren’t having that problem last perigee.” 

Kankri gives him a slight poke in the ribs though he doesn’t pull away. Cronus is quite comfortable, and comfort is nice. He really hasn’t been feeling like his normal self; random mood swings, cravings, exhaustion, and a libido that Cronus is even having an issue keeping up with some days. Porrim had given him a wink and told him pailing could do that to a troll sometimes. He had given his moirail a steady glare until she had laughed and then insisted he go to the hospital. Only she couldn’t take him, so Cronus had done so instead. Not that Kankri is complaining. 

There is a knock on the door and a teal-blooded doctor enters the room. They wear a smile on their face, though it has a tinge of confusion to it.

“Hello, Mr. Vantas. I’m Dr. Convar.” 

“Hello, Doctor,” Kankri replies as he sits up. “Would you tell my matesprit here that I just need some vitamins and send us on our way.”

The doctor gives an odd little laugh. “Well, it’s true that you need some vitamins but…” They look down at their sheet.

“But what?” Kankri cranes his neck to try and see whatever is on the paper; a hapless effort from his current angle. 

“Is Kankri okay?” Cronus’s voice holds an edge of panic that Kankri hasn’t heard before.

“Oh, yes he’s fine. Well, mostly fine. I mean…” Dr. Convar sits on the corner of the examination table. “Listen, I’m not sure how to tell you two this, especially you Mr. Vantas. We’ve never seen anything like this before, not for a long, long time. The only doctor here that has even heard of this kind of thing is a sea-dweller that went out to pasture sweeps ago. So color me surprised when-”

“Please skip the pleasantries and tell me what’s wrong,” Kankri cuts in. “I understand that you’re trying to make me feel better, but your attempts at softening the blow are triggering more and more panic.”

The doctor gives a sigh before rubbing at the base of their knob-like horns. “Alright, then I’ll just come out and say it. Kankri Vantas, you’re going to be the proud lusus of a clutch of grubs.”

There is a beat of silence in the room. Cronus is the one to break it.

“The fuck?”

Kankri can’t find his tongue to reprimand Cronus for the language. It seems that it has turned into nothing more than a lump in his throat instead of a viable organ. 

“Yes, well, Kankri’s mutation is...special. Some organs that are dormant in most, if not all, trolls aren’t so much in him. Even trolls who still have working ones can’t usually produce any eggs. Your matesprite, however, can.”

Despite already being seated, Kankri finds himself having to lean heavily on Cronus. “Are you telling me that I’m...I’m a mother-grub?”

“In a way, yes. Only the slurry you hold is just between you and whomever you’ve slept with.”

“Holy shit,” Cronus whispers as he looks down at Kankri.

Kankri clenches his jaw. If he doesn’t he’s afraid he may lose his last meal all over Cronus’s lap.

“I know this is probably quite a shock, and believe me, we are too. It’s been a long time since a troll held their own eggs. But, that doesn’t mean we don’t know what to do.” The doctor waves the file he is holding. “We still have all of the information on incubation and know just what you need right now. For instance, currently you aren’t getting nearly enough vitamins and protein for the growing eggs inside you -two or three from the x-ray- and it’s severely weakening you.” Dr. Convar pulls out said x-ray and hands it over.

Cronus ends up taking it as Kankri finds himself unable to do much more than move his head. Cronus holds the image low enough for him to see it without too much difficulty. 

“You can see two definite circular shapes in the lower abdomen. We can’t tell for sure if the shadow behind the two distinct eggs is a third. Still, with that many, you’re losing a lot of nutrients. I’m going to prescribe you a few different vitamins-” They take out a pen and start writing the prescription. “-and I want you to double your daily caloric intake. On top of that, lots of rest. Any questions?”

“Will pailing hurt the eggs?” Cronus asks. Kankri feels a need to swat at him, but seeing as his body has been craving stimulation almost every morning, it makes sense to ask the question. 

“Not for another couple of perigees. Why?”

“Well...uh…” Cronus looks over at Kankri who still hasn’t moved. Kankri is thankful he didn’t just spit out that they were pailing more often, though he does feel a slight need to smack him for not being a little more tactful. 

“A higher pailing drive is completely normal,” Dr. Convar replies with a smirk. “Speaking of, your hormones are going to be a bit crazy until the eggs are ready to be laid. After that, it’ll all level out.”

“Lay them?” Kankri finds his tongue. A strange weight seems to leave him now that he knows he won’t have to carry them once they have hatched. “When?”

“Well, probably in the next four to five perigees. They will finish development outside of the body after that. We can discuss home or hospital incubation for the last perigee later. Right now I think you may just need to digest what I’ve already told you.”

Kankri gives a slight nod as he falls silent again. He needs more information, so much more, but he can’t quite find the words to ask all the questions.

The doctor hands the piece of paper he had scribbled on, and a packet of papers, to Cronus.

“Take that prescription down to the pharmacy. They’ll fill it and explain the dosages. Follow all the instructions and call me if you need me. Here is my card.” Dr. Convar hands him a small card with his work number in print and cell scribbled onto it. “That packet will answer a decent amount of your questions I’d hope, but if not, feel free to call me anytime. I’m not going to lie and say that this is going to be easy for you, Kankri, so please contact me whenever you may need me.”

“Thank you,” Kankri manages as he stares at the papers in Cronus’s hand and places a hand over his belly. “Is there anything else you can think of that I should know right now? Before I get into the packet?”

“No soporifics,” Dr. Convar says sternly. “And try and stay away from over-cooked meats. Anything past medium won’t provide nearly enough protein for the grubs. And also, if you have a kismesis I would let them know as well. The eggs will be taking genetic material from all present in the slurry.”

“It’s just us,” Kankri says gently as he pushes against Cronus.

“Then those are going to be some interesting grubs,” the doctor says with a chuckle. 

Heat speeds up Kankri’s spine. “What’s that supposed to mean,” he snaps.

The doctor quickly drops their smile. “I didn’t mean anything offensive, Mr. Vantas. It’s just rare enough to have a mutation in a clutch, but now a mutation is going to have a clutch, and with a sead-weller who is already at a higher point in the hemospectrum. It might be the start of a possible color resurgence.”

Kankri feels his face heat in both fury and embarrassment. How dare this troll see him as a kind of science experiment, but it also makes sense. Red blooded trolls are almost unheard of. If he has more of them, then maybe the number will jump when they add their material to the slurry.

‘Or have a clutch of their own,’ he adds to himself.

The doctor gives a quick glance at his watch. “I’m sorry, but you’ll have to excuse me, I need to be on my way. Remember, follow those instructions, take the vitamins, and relax.”

“I don’t currently believe relaxing will be possible until I introduce these eggs to the world,” Kankri replies as he looks down at his stomach.

“Well, you may want to try,” Dr. Convar replies with a small smile. “I’ve read it’s the raising bit that’s really stressful.” They give a wink and then head out the door.

Kankri finds himself unable to respond as the realization that he is not only going to give birth to these grubs, but also be a lusus.

“Kankri?” Cronus asks gently as Kankri sits up straight in his chair and stares at the door. 

His face feels like it is on fire.

“Snuggle-beast, sweet-red?

“How could they think that a comment like that is even remotely okay to say before leaving a new...whatever I am to fend for themselves? I already have to worry about what I’m going to be eating, doing, when I do it, and he springs it on me that we very well may become the permanent lussi to these grubs instead of them going into the adoption pool like the rest of them. It’s absurd! Is he trying to make my blood-pusher explode!?”

“Whoa, Kan, chill. You’ll cook the eggs.”

Kankri’s jaw snaps shut on his next sentence. He holds the anger for a moment before letting out a breath.

“You’re right,” he sighs as he slumps back in the chair. He pushes his hand to his stomach. “What are we going to do, Cronus?”

“Well, first we’re gonna go down and get this stuff for ya,” he holds up the paper. “And then we’re going to my place, stuff you so full of food you can’t move, and then put you in a fresh recuperacoon.”

“Your place?”

“Well yeah. Like hell, I’m letting you out of my sight now.”

“And what’s wrong with my place. It may not be as spacious but it’s cleaner, warmer, and-”

“Too far away from the ocean. Unless you want me sleeping in the ablation tub there is no way I’ll be able to do more than a day or so there before I ring up your water bill.” 

Kankri rubs his eyes. “Says the troll who tried to go on a trek through the mountains.”

“Hey, it was worth it.” He pushes a peck to Kankri’s cheek.

Kankri smiles gently to himself as he lets himself fall against Cronus.

“How are you not a panicking mess right now?”

“Hey, c’mon, give me some credit here.”

“You’re screaming on the inside, aren’t you?”

“Like a squeak beast in a trap. Makes me want to take up smoking again.”

Kankri gives him a harsh glare. “You will not start those gill rotting sticks again.”

“Kidding, kidding.” He squeezes Kankri again. “Though I might have a couple soporifics when we get home if that’s okay with you, Chief.”

“I never drank them before, so you shouldn’t feel any guilt in drinking them now,” Kankri replies with a small huff as he stands.

“I won’t if you don’t want me too.” 

Kankri looks over to find Cronus looking timidly at him.

He heaves a sigh. “No, no, go ahead. I’m just…” Kankri rubs at the base of his horns. “I’m tired, I’m hungry, I need sleep, and I’m carrying grubs.” A slightly hysterical laugh pops out of him. “Carrying grubs, that isn’t a sentence I ever imagined uttering.”

“You said the same thing about ‘spank me harder’, but-”

Kankri cuts Cronus off with a glare.

“Home?” Cronus asks sheepishly.

“Yes, home. My home preferably, seeing as I’ll need to pack a bag for the next few days until we can find something more permanent. Though…” Kankri puts his hand on his stomach, and not because of the grubs. He can feel it gurgling gently.

“Do you think we can just pick something up on the way back to the hive? I don’t think I can wait to cook anything.”

Cronus kisses Kankri’s forehead before leading him to the door. 

“Course. You're eating for four now. Don’t want to keep all of ya waiting.”

Kankri’s lips jump as he tries to figure out if he wants to smile or scream at the statement.

\--------------------

“Cronus!” Kankri calls into the hive as he lays back on the couch. His feet are sore, his body is heavy, and his bladder is screaming at him to get up and go. Problem is, getting off of Cronus’s couch is like trying to climb a mountain. The plushness of it, and the water-resistant cloth causes anyone that sits on it to sink in with little friction. With Kankri unable to lean forwards due to his distended stomach, getting away from the cushy pillows is practically impossible for him now.

Unless he wants to roll…

“Cronus!”

He hates rolling.

“What!? What’s wrong!?” Cronus’s voice is followed by the thudding of footsteps, a slight cry, and thud as Cronus trips, followed by more stomping as he comes up the stairs from his lower rooms. He appears at the top of the stairs, body dripping. “Everything okay?” 

“I’m fine, I just can’t get up.” Kankri gives a slightly undignified flail. “I need some sort of rope or something tied to the ceiling.”

“I could do that.”

“Really?” Kankri thinks on that a moment before shaking his head. “We can talk about it later. Right now I need help up or I’m going to leave a puddle.”

“Wouldn’t be the first time.” Cronus grabs Kankri’s outstretched hands and helps tug him upwards into a hug.

“Those were under more pleasurable circumstances, and we had towels down.” Kankri quickly moves away from Cronus and towards the ablution trap. It only takes him a few moments before he has relieved himself, washed his hands, and is back in their living space. Cronus is standing near the stairs, looking like he’s about to go back down.

“Aren’t you tired?” Kankri asks. “You’ve been working on the pen all day.”

Cronus gives a shrug. “I’m in the water most of the time, so no biggie. It’s not like I’m putting pressure on anything, but get this.” He turns to Kankri with a large grin. “I’ve got netting going all the way down into the sand! They’re going to be able to get down into the seabed when they want to, even dig some. I buried the netting so far down there is no way they’ll get out.”

“With you as a genetics donor, I’m not sure if you could stop them if they wanted to.”

Cronus gives a grin. “I’ll take that as a compliment.”

Kankri walks over to him, his slippered feet making a slight scuffing sound on the non-slip tile. The hive is a decent temperature, a tad chilly, but Cronus has set up enough blankets that it’s not a problem. Being close to the sea hasn’t been as big of a change as Kankri had thought. Besides salt air and a slight dampness in the lower rooms of the hive, the upper levels are almost like his own. It’s also been quieter, his own hive having been in a hive complex with trolls on all sides. 

“Really, Cronus, take a break.”

“I was about to,” he says before pecking Kankri’s nose. “Want to keep an eye on you and get your feet up. You’re limping again.”

“And I won’t stop until I lay these eggs. Really, you don’t have to worry so much.That’s Porrim’s job as my moirail, and let me tell you, I think she is starting to get jealous of you dabbling in her quadrant.”

“Yeah, well she can’t be pale with ya 24/7, and right now you need all the red and pale you can get, so I’ll supply both. I’m your one stop troll for all your lovin needs.” He wraps his arms around Kankri, pulling him close so that Kankri’s belly bumps into his.

“Well, Mr. One-stop, how about we get my feet up by watching that show you’ve been wanting me to view?”

Cronus’s eyes widen. “Really?”

“I need something new to watch. ‘Hive Flipping’ is well into re-runs at this point, and I promised you I would wait to start it with you, so tonight is as good as any.”

“Hell yeah! Just let me grab some dry pants.” He quickly speeds off into the hive as Kankri stands next to the stairs with a smile. To be honest, he has little interest in the television show called, ‘Multiple troll factions from warring areas attempting to take full custody of all the lands around them through wars, botched quadrants, sexual encounters, and mythical beasts’, but he’ll try it if it gets Cronus to sit down. 

He goes to the kitchen, grabs two sugar-filled beverages, a box of snack, and lays them out on the table. He also heads to the bathroom again -just to be sure he’ll be able to stay seated for longer than five minutes- and then heads back to the living block. Cronus is already there and setting up the couch with blankets, has the footrest pulled in close so that Kankri can lay almost the entirety of his legs over it, and is wearing a loose pair of pants and nothing else.

“You ready for this?” he asks with a grin.

“As long as you warn me before any gratuitous moments of violence, intercourse, or anything else that you believe may make me feel uncomfortable, then yes.”

“You do realize I’ll be talking for like, half the show then, right?” Cronus flops back onto the couch.

“Don’t you already?” Kankri gives a smirk as Cronus makes a fake, wounded sound. He still eagerly opens his arms and pulls Kankri to his chest, keeping them both angled so that Kankri can keep his feet propped up on the ottoman. 

Kankri snuggles back into the coolness of Cronus’s body as the television begins to play the show’s theme song. Cronus pulls a blanket over them.

“Now, just so you know-” Cronus begins to warn Kankri of the next several scenes as they lay there, Kankri’s eyes growing heavy as he snuggles up to his matesprit and listens to the drone of Cronus’s voice and the television. As he listens to the sound of fighting on the screen and stares at his eyelids, he feels a cool hand come to rub over his belly.

“And in the next part, there is going to be this kind of screwed up thing where the clutch-mates plan to have the royal grub killed if he wakes up. Not that it really works, but I know you hate when characters you like die without warning and-”

“You’re doing it again,” Kankri murmurs through his smirk.

“Hey, you told me to tell you what was coming up.”

“Not that,” Kankri chuckles as he raises a hand and rests it over Cronus’s. It still it’s movements over his belly.

“Oh.” The word is colored with embarrassment. 

“Every time we lay down your hands always seem to find their way to my thorax.”

“Can you blame me?” Cronus asks as his other hand comes up. The two hands begin to move gently over Kankri’s bloated belly. “You’ve got grubs in you, Chief. _Our_ grubs. There’s no other troll on this planet that can say that their matesprit’s carrying _their_ grubs. They all have to guess at which ones in the next generation might come from them based off their horns or blood colors. But us,” he pauses as he gives a gentle press against Kankri’s stomach. “We get to know them from the second they hatch. No mother grub, no slurry, no adoptive lusui, just 100% us.” The hands continue to rub over the bump, pulling back Kankri’s sweater so that they can travel over the skin. Kankri watches the movement of Cronus’s hands under the blanket through his half-lidded eyes.

“Do you really think I might lay the next heiress?”

Cronus grins into the crown of Kankri’s skull. “If any troll was amazing enough to do it, it would be you, Kan. Bet it would relieve Meenah, seeing as she wants to go running off into space or whatevah.”

The hands on Kankri’s belly still as they lay beneath the blankets. On the screen, the yelling and turmoil of the fabricated world go unheard as the two of them simply sit in each other’s presence. Kankri’s head on Cronus’s shoulder, Cronus’s hands on Kankri’s belly.

“Where are you going to build the pen if any of them aren’t aquatic?” Kankri murmurs as Cronus’s hands tickle along his sides and then back over his belly. 

The hands stop.

“Cronus?”

“I need more netting.”

\----------------------------------------------------------------------

“Mr. Vantas, you really need to brea-”

“I will breathe when these god-forsaken rocks are out of my nook you flea brained, unfeeling, quack!”

Dr. Convar flushes before diving back down beneath the water of the netted pen that Cronus had created, most likely to check on whatever is going on down below with his sea-dweller attendee.

“Damn, and I thought I could only get you to talk dirty when we pailed.”

“I will tear off your bulge if you mention pailing again,” Kankri snarls as he turns to Cronus. They are both halfway submerged in the water, Kankri’s feet and backside resting on a contraption that the doctor had brought. It hooks over the side of the cove’s stone walls, allowing Kankri to be supported in the deeper water.

Dr. Convar comes back up with a slight gasp for air. “We can see the start of one of the eggs. We need you to push down hard now, Kankri.”

“What the hell do you think I am doing!” Even with the cool water around them, Kankri feels like he is burning up. He’s surprised that the water around him hasn’t started to boil with the heat coming off of him.

“Come on, babe. You can do this.”

“Says the troll that DOESN’T have three eggs fighting their way out of him!” Kankri whips around to glare at Cronus. “You did this to me,” he grits through his teeth. “You and that accursed appendage between your legs. So don’t you dare tell me to-AAAAAAAaaangh.” Kankri clamps his jaw shut as his body spasms.

“You can chew me out later, Kan. Right now, you really need to do what the doc says and push.”

Kankri doesn’t debate, just clenches his nook and pushes as he is told. The hard bulb near the front of his nook moves a few more inches, spreading him wide, and it _hurts_ ,

The attendee suddenly comes up from the water. “Doctor, the egg is breaching. Permission to extract it f-”

“Do it!” Kankri shouts at her. The troll with the fork like horns jerks back at his outburst.

“You heard him,” Dr. Convar says.

She quickly disappears beneath the water. Dr. Convar stays above, clinging to the side of the pool as he takes deep breaths in preparation. When he had given them the option of a land or sea birth Cronus had jumped at the idea of doing so in the water. Kankri had agreed once he had learned of some of the messier things about egg laying.

Dr. Convar takes a deep breath before disappearing back under the water. Kankri bites down on his lip as he feels something wiggle between the walls of his nook and the egg. It spreads him open slightly wider, sending pain shocking through him. Moments later the device and the egg slip from him.

Kankri collapses back against the wall of the cove, his head dropping to the side and onto Cronus’s shoulder. A weak sob leaves him as Cronus makes soothing sounds and rubs his belly beneath the water. 

“There we go, one down,” he tells him.

The attendee and Doctor come up. 

“Your first egg,” the attendee says as she treads water and presents the egg to him and Kankri.

“Oh my god,” Cronus breathes as he looks over it. While it has a definite shape, the egg seems somewhat leathery, and the shell is a dark purple with lighter veins throughout. Cronus reaches for it with both of his hands as Kankri lays panting, his eyes heavy as he watches the sphere that is just about half the size of his skull transferred to Cronus.

“Oh wow,” Cronus murmurs. “Kankri, holy shit, Kankri. This is our grub.” He stares at the egg in awe. “This is-”

“Not the only one!” Kankri suddenly yells as the second egg demands attention. 

“Mr. Ampora, would you take that to the nesting site for now?” Dr. Convar pants gently, catching his breath from being down below. “We can reunite Mr. Vantas with it as soon as the other two are out. I want to check it over while he produces the other too.” Dr. Convar grabs the side of the cove and pulls himself up.

“Yeah, sure,” Cronus replies as he quickly paddles over to the small nesting site that the Doctor had helped them set up near the water. Kankri watches him pull himself out one handed, the other cradling the egg to his chest.

“I need you to push again,” the attendee says. “They’ll come faster now that the first is out.”

Kankri nods, and while exhausted, he finds the strength to push down once again. The attendee is right, and the next egg comes quicker. This one is a redder shade of purple, not quite tyrian, but one of the closest shades Kankri has ever seen. 

“This one’s going to outrank both of us,” Cronus says with a grin before kissing the egg.

“Really, Cronus, bringing up the spectrum now?”

“Sorry, babe.” Cronus pecks Kankri’s cheek before going back to the nesting unit. 

“One more,” the attendee says as Kankri feels the last egg inside him. 

“I’m so, tired,” Kankri pants as he fights to hold himself up.

“Come on, Chief, you’ve got this,” Cronus says before slipping back into the water. “Just a few more pushes and we’ll have our own little unit right here. Happy and healthy and ready to hatch.” Cronus rubs a hand gently through Kankri’s hair. “You can do it.”

Kankri can only respond with a cry as he pushes down once, twice, and feels something smaller than the other two push out. The attendee comes up a moment later, and what she holds makes them both stare. The egg is as red as anything Kankri has ever seen.

“Oh-ho. That’s a K name,” Cronus says as the attendee goes to hand the egg to Cronus.

“No,” Kankri says as he reaches for it, his arms shaking. “He already got to hold the others.”

The attendee seems a little surprised before her face softens and she hands the egg over to Kankri. It is smaller than the other two, but not by much, and the dull red surface is shot through with bright red lines. Through the skin of it, Kankri can barely see the shape of a grub.

“You did it,” Cronus says as he kisses Kankri’s sweaty brow. “You did it, babe.”

Kankri looks down at the reddish oblong egg in his arms and gives the biggest smile he can muster through the tears of relief that slowly trickle from his eyes.

“We’re lussi, Cronus,” he says gently. “We’re lussi.”

Cronus pulls him in tight, though careful of the egg, and kisses Kankri with a smile.

“We’re going to be the best god-damn lussi.”

“Not with that mouth,” Kankri chuckles as the Doctor comes over.

“The other two are healthy, though we need to get that one with it’s clutch mates too.” The doctor kneels down and extends his hands for the egg. Kankri gives it over begrudgingly, though he is quickly happy he did. Shivers rush up his body as the water of the cove suddenly becomes quite cold. 

“We need to get him into the sopor,” the attendee says as she pulls herself out of the water. 

Cronus does the same. “Ready for some shut-eye?”

“More than ever.” Kankri’s voice comes out breathy and between clattering teeth.

Cronus and the attendee pull Kankri from the water. The attendee helps Cronus pick Kankri up before he carries his matesprit to the recuperacoon set up near the nesting area. Dr. Convar sits next to the eggs, holding them beneath the orangish light above their somewhat gooey container. The gel is made from the same stuff produced by the mother grub and a small mixture of their own genetic material. It will hold the grubs for the next perigee before they hatch.

“In ya go, Chief,” Cronus says as he helps Kankri get into the recuperacoon. The sopor is deliciously warm, though Kankri finds something missing. 

“Get in here,” he says sleepily, his hand giving a half-hearted tug to Cronus’s arm. There is no debating as Cronus quickly slips inside, pants and all, and pulls Kankri to him. His hands immediately go to his belly. 

“I think I might miss that bump of yours.” 

“Too bad, because it’s not coming back.”

“At least not for a while,” Cronus says, voice warm as his hands squeeze.

“I just laid a clutch. If you think anything is going inside my body in the next few perigees then-”

“Kidding,” Cronus says as he starts kissing Kankri’s cheeks. “Shhhh, go to sleep. I was only kidding.”

“No more eggs,” Kankri murmurs as he relaxes against Cronus. 

“Whatever you say, Kan.” 

Kankri falls asleep to the murmurs of the doctor and attendee, Cronus’s kisses, and the strange, yet pleasant, sensation of being empty for the first time in perigees.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you all enjoyed reading this commission as much as I enjoyed writing it.

**Author's Note:**

> As always, if you see something me or my betas missed, feel free to let me know!


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